Sheet conveying apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12109801-B2
Application number	US-202117411263-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 25, 2021
Priority date	Aug 28, 2020
Publication date	Oct 8, 2024
Grant date	Oct 8, 2024

Abstract

The apparatus is capable of handling sheets of various lengths while suppressing an increase in apparatus size, wherein each of a pair of regulating guides is movable to a guide position at which an end edge of a sheet in a sheet width direction can be guided by a guide surface and to a retracting position retracting further away from the sheet width direction end edge than the guide position. For sheets S1 and S2 each having a first sheet length, the pair of regulating guides is made to reach the guide position from the retracting position in a state where the front end of the sheet is located between upstream and downstream ends of the guide surface. For a sheet S3 having a second sheet length that is longer than the first length, the pair of regulating guides is made to reach the guide position from the retracting position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sheet conveying apparatus that receives and conveys a sheet conveyed by a conveying unit for conveying sheets in a predetermined conveying direction, comprising:
a conveying belt configured to convey the sheet passed from the conveying unit and extending in the predetermined conveying direction;
a plurality of balls that are arranged in the predetermined conveying direction so as to contact the sheet conveyed by the conveying belt and configured to be rotatable in any direction while contacting the sheet conveyed by the conveying belt, the plurality of balls being disposed on the conveying belt via the sheet;
a pair of guides that are disposed at both sides relative to the conveying belt in a width direction crossing the predetermined conveying direction, the pair of guides each having a support surface that supports an end portion of the sheet conveyed by the conveying belt in the width direction and a guide surface that faces an end edge of the sheet conveyed by the conveying belt in the width direction;
a guide moving unit configured to move the pair of guides to a guide position that guides the end portion of the sheet supported by the support surface while being conveyed by the conveying belt and to a retracting position that is retracted further away from the end edge of the in the width direction than the guide position; and
a control unit that controls the conveying belt and the guide moving unit, wherein
the control unit is configured to control such that:
for a sheet having a first sheet length in the predetermined conveying direction, the guide moving unit locates the pair of guides at the retracting position when the sheet is passed from the conveying unit to the conveying belt, and then makes the pair of guides reach the guide position from the retracting position in a state while the sheet is being conveyed by the conveying belt, and in a state where a front end of the sheet is located between upstream and downstream ends of the guide surface in the predetermined conveying direction, and
for a sheet having a second sheet length longer than the first sheet length, the guide moving unit locates the pair of guides at the retracting position when the sheet is passed from the conveying unit to the conveying belt, and then makes the pair of guides reach the guide position from the retracting position in a state while the sheet is being conveyed by the conveying belt and in a state where the front end of the sheet is located further downstream from the downstream end of the guide surface in the predetermined conveying direction.

2. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
for a sheet having the first sheet length and shorter in length than the guide surface in the predetermined conveying direction by a predetermined amount, the guide moving unit makes the pair of guides reach the guide position in a state where the sheet is located between the upstream and downstream ends of the guide surface in the predetermined conveying direction.

3. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the guide moving unit makes the pair of guides reach the guide position after a rear end of the sheet is conveyed while the sheet is being nipped by the conveying belt and balls passes the conveying unit.

4. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the conveying unit is an upstream side conveying roller pair that nips and conveys a sheet,
the upstream side conveying roller pair is movable to a nip position at which it applies a conveying force to the sheet and a nip release position where the pair of conveyance rollers are separate from the nip position, and
the guide moving unit makes the pair of guides reach the guide position after the upstream conveying roller pair is set at the nip release position.

5. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a downstream side conveying roller pair that nips and conveys a sheet at the downstream side relative to the conveying belt in the predetermined conveying direction and is movable to a nip position at which it applies a conveying force to the sheet and a nip release position where the pair of conveyance rollers are separate from the nip position, wherein
for the sheet having the second sheet length, the guide moving unit makes the pair of guides reach the guide position in a state where the downstream side roller pair is set at the nip release position.

6. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the conveying unit is an upstream side conveying roller pair that nips and conveys a sheet, and
for a sheet having the second sheet length, the guide moving unit starts moving the pair of guides from the retracting position to the guide position in a state where the rear end of the sheet is nipped by the upstream side conveying roller pair and makes the pair of guides reach the guide position after the rear end of the sheet is passed through the upstream conveying roller pair.

7. An image forming system comprising:
a conveying unit for conveying sheets in a predetermined conveying direction;
a conveying belt configured to convey the sheet passed from the conveying unit and extending in the predetermined conveying direction;
a plurality of balls that are arranged in the predetermined conveying direction so as to contact the sheet conveyed by the conveying belt and configured to be rotatable in any direction while contacting the sheet conveyed by the conveying belt, the plurality of balls being disposed on the conveying belt via the sheet;
a pair of guides that are disposed at both sides relative to the conveying belt in a width direction crossing the predetermined conveying direction, the pair of guides each having a support surface that supports an end portion of the sheet conveyed by the conveying belt in the width direction and a guide surface that faces an end edge of the conveying belt in the width direction;
a guide moving unit configured to move the pair of guides to a guide position that guides the end portion of the sheet supported by the support surface while being conveyed by the conveying belt and to a retracting position that is retracted further away from the end edge of the in the width direction than the guide position;
an image forming part that forms an image on a sheet conveyed by the conveying belt; and
a control unit that controls the conveying unit, the conveying belt and the guide moving unit, wherein
the control unit is configured to control such that:
for a sheet having a first sheet length in the predetermined conveying direction, the guide moving unit locates the pair of guides at the retracting position when the sheet is passed from the conveying unit to the conveying belt, and then makes the pair of guides reach the guide position from the retracting position in a state while the sheet is being conveyed by the conveying belt, and in a state where a front end of the sheet is located between upstream and downstream ends of the guide surface in the predetermined conveying direction, and
for a sheet having a second sheet length longer than the first sheet length, the guide moving unit locates the pair of guides at the retracting position when the sheet is passed from the conveying unit to the conveying belt, and then makes the pair of guides reach the guide position from the retracting position in a state while the sheet is being conveyed by the conveying belt and in a state where the front end of the sheet is located further downstream from the downstream end of the guide surface in the predetermined conveying direction.

Assignees

• Iwata Toshiyuki
• Kubota Yuuki
• Kondo Tsukasa
• Kawasaki Tetsuya
• Canon Finetech Nisca Inc

Inventors

• Iwata Toshiyuki
• Kubota Yuuki
• Kondo Tsukasa
• Kawasaki Tetsuya

Classifications

• B65H5/025

  between belts and rotary means, e.g. rollers, drums, cylinders or balls, forming a transport nip · CPC title

• B65H5/062

  between rollers or balls · CPC title

• B65H5/068

  between one or more rollers or balls and stationary pressing, supporting or guiding elements · CPC title

• B65H5/023 Primary

  between a pair of belts forming a transport nip · CPC title

• B65H2515/10

  Mass, e.g. mass flow rate; Weight; Inertia · CPC title